Butterflied Lamb Leg with Spring Vegetables

A butterflied leg of lamb cooked in a pizza oven is a revelation. The intense heat sears the outside beautifully while keeping the inside pink and juicy, and the whole thing is done in twenty minutes. Paired with broad beans, asparagus, and a zesty anchovy dressing, this is proper seasonal cooking that makes the most of your outdoor oven.

Ingredients

Lamb and Marinade

• Half leg of lamb (top portion), butterflied
• 3 anchovies
• 1 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 25ml olive oil
• Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Juice of half a lemon

Spring Vegetables

• Diced pancetta
• Broad beans (frozen is fine)
• Fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces
• Baby courgettes, diced
• Garden peas (frozen is fine)
• Almond flakes, for toasting
• Juice of half a lemon

Method

1. Locate the central bone in the lamb leg and carefully slice along it to remove, keeping the meat in one piece. Open the lamb like a book and butterfly the thicker half until you have an even thickness throughout. Trim any excess fat.
2. Blend or finely chop the anchovies, capers, mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic, and lemon juice into a paste. Add more oil if needed.
3. Coat the lamb generously with the marinade and place it in your pizza oven. Flip regularly until golden on both sides and the internal temperature reaches 60°C - roughly 15-20 minutes. Rest under loosely tented foil.
4. While the lamb rests, toast almond flakes in a dry skillet until golden. Set aside.
5. Brown the diced pancetta in a skillet in the oven to render the fat. Add the courgettes, asparagus, broad beans, and peas with 100ml of water and return to the oven.
6. Stir occasionally until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has evaporated. Squeeze in the lemon juice, season with black pepper, and toss through the toasted almonds.
7. Slice the lamb against the grain and serve on top of the vegetables.